Archaeological Survey of Project TSAP-894(1), Peach County

The proposed project corridor for the Fort Valley State College Access Road, GDOT/GEPA Project TSAP-894(1), Peach County, consists of an access road on new location for Fort Valley State College between SR 49 and US 341/SR 7. The project would begin on SR 49 south of River Road/CR 185 and proceed in a southeasterly direction on new location for approximately 0.55 mile, crossing State College Drive/CR 177 near Friendship Circle/CR 16, then continuing for approximately 0.8 mile to Carver Drive/CR 8. From Carver Drive/CR 8, the proposed roadway would extend in an easterly direction for an estimated 1.51 miles, ending at US 341/SR 7 near Evans Road/CR 109. Total project length is 2.86 miles; approximately 200 feet of right-of-way would be required.

Most of the proposed project corridor is situated on nearly level to gently sloping uplands and steep, well-drained drainage ways. The soils consist of loamy or sandy surface with sandy clay or sandy clay loam subsoils. Within the proposed project corridor, grass pastures represent approximately 8.6% of the corridor; an estimated 9.7% of the corridor has been recently clearcut; 13% of the project corridor consists of planted pines or pecan trees; 31.3% of the corridor consists of agricultural (fallow and recently plowed) fields and finally, an estimated 36.5% of the corridor consists of mixed hardwoods.

Only two archaeological sites, 9Pe(DOT)4 and 9Pe(DOT)5, were discovered within the project's area of potential environmental effect; neither site is considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register. Site 9Pe(DOT)4 was identified as a recent-historic artifact scatter in a plowed field west of Carver Drive. Machine-made bricks and fragments thereof, mortar fragments, clear and brown bottle glass, and a single plain whiteware sherd were observed on the surface. Shovel tests and a surface inspection of the area failed to identify any cultural deposits or features. If this scatter represents a house site, it is not depicted on the 1973 Fort Valley Vest USGS Quadrangle Map. Due to a lack of intact strata and features, 9Pe(DOT)4 is not likely to yield important new information to the archaeological record. This site is not considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Site 9Pe(DOT)5 was discovered along a field road and in a dozer push-pile adjacent to the field road. Less than a dozen chert secondary flakes were scattered along the top edge of a terrace above a small drainage. Shovel tests and an intensive surface inspection of the disturbed surface areas failed to locate any additional artifacts or cultural strata. Due to the sparsity of artifacts, lack of features and site size, 9Pe(DOT)5 is not likely to yield important new information to the archaeological record. It is therefore recommended that 9Pe(DOT)5 is not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP.